art carnival luna luna opens at the shed NY with attractions by basquiat and keith haring

first los angeles, now new york, the dubbed world’s first traveling art carnival brings its rides and attractions by jean-michel basquiat, keith haring and more.

matthew burgos November 21, 2024 5 min

The shed welcomes traveling art carnival luna luna in new york

Luna Luna, dubbed the world’s first traveling art carnival, heads to The Shed in New York City, bringing its fun houses and attractions by visionary artists of the 20th century, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Sonia Delaunay, Kenny Scharf, and more. From November 20th, 2024 to January 5th, 2025, Luna Luna finds its new temporary home in Level 2 Gallery and The McCourt of the cultural center.

The art carnival lands in the Big Apple after spending some time in Los Angeles starting December 2023. In New York, Luna Luna presents a selection of artist-created rides and attractions as well as installations including David Hockney’s Enchanted Tree, Lichtenstein’s Glass Labyrinth and Salvador Dalí’s Dalídom. Visitors to the art carnival at The Shed are also given sights to some archival items and new designs inspired by the original fair. At the end of the ride, they may also acquire items from like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein.

luna luna new york — all photos by Brian Ferry, unless stated otherwise, courtesy of Luna Luna LLC

Carnival rides and attractions in McCourt space

It has been a tradition for The Shed to install monumental works in its McCourt space. Having Luna Luna and its traveling art carnival attractions flock to this venue in New York then isn’t something to wonder about. Rides such as carousels and swings need extensive space to function and operate, and the cultural institution’s Gallery and McCourt are more than ready to accommodate them. This is The Shed’s chance to introduce the now-revived traveling art carnival to the residents and visitors of New York City, finding its rightful lodging for a short-term stay.

Luna Luna has come back from its dormant life after artist André Heller, his son, and Canadian rapper Drake, whose production company DreamCrew owned parts of the investment, brought the carnival to mainstream. It first opened its fairground in 1987 in Hamburg, Germany, and by some twist of fate, it stayed forgotten in storage in Texas for 36 years after its run. Luna Luna first announced its return in 2022. In December 2023 to be exact, it ran its full blockbuster showing in Los Angeles titled Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy. Since then, it has kept its feet on its toes, with New York City as the next station to swing by.

Works by Salvador Dalí, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein and more

Once it opens at The Shed on November 20th, 2024, visitors to Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy can experience the revived traveling art carnival. One by one, they can witness the artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Arik Brauer, Salvador Dalí, Sonia Delaunay, Monika GilSing, Keith Haring, André Heller, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, and Kenny Scharf. Their designs wrap around the rides and attractions, and to accompany the multidisciplinary, multisensory experience, The Shed will host concerts and activations with performing artists in the same space.

The article was updated on November 20th, 2024 to report the opening of the art carnival.